When Nick Met Kerry
by Ms Isabella
Summary: Nick and Cody's former Army MP settles in King Harbor. Chapter 3 now up.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I wrote this story when Riptide was on the air. Back then, there were no such things as computers and word processors, or cell phones. I wrote everything out by hand and typed them on a typewriter. (And hidden from my parents, of course!) I've pulled the story out and I'm updating it for modern times. I am keeping everyone the same age as they were when the series aired. I hope Y'all enjoy!_

When Nick Met Kerry

Chapter 1

Nick sipped his beer and glanced around at the crowd. He knew practically everyone in the place because they were all in his National Guard unit, and they were all together for their two-week summer training at Fort Ord. As he glanced around, he noticed the one someone he had been looking forward to seeing was not there. He turned back to the bar and ordered another beer.

Fifteen minutes later, someone slid on to the bar stool next to him. He really wasn't in the mood for company, so he shifted and turned toward the TV.

"So, Soldier, you're just going to ignore me and not say hello? I'm hurt," came the voice from the woman who had just sat down next to him.

When he heard the voice, Nick froze. He had just been thinking about her again, and there she was. He turned back to face her. "Hi, Kerry. Good to see you."

He stood up and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He knew he shouldn't. The last time he had seen her, she had announced she had gotten married.

"Nick, always a pleasure to see you."

Nick noticed she didn't seem in a hurry to break the hug, but he knew that it would be awkward to stand there hugging her for a long period of time.

"So, can I buy you a beer? Did you eat? We could grab some dinner."

"That sounds wonderful. How did you know I was hungry?"

"Kerry, you're always hungry. I've never seen anyone go through the chow line three times and still not gain an ounce."

She laughed. "Fast metabolism, Nicholas."

"I'll bet. Come on, let's get out of here."

"So, how have you been? How's your job with SFPD? Did you make Inspector yet?" Nick asked as they studied the menus of the steak house where everyone ate at least once during reserve duty.

"Good. Job's done, and I didn't make Inspector. I resigned."

He looked at her like she had suddenly grown two heads. "Why, Kerry? You love your job. You should have made Inspector by now."

"Politics. My career wound up in the toilet when I divorced Nathan."

He shook his head. "You divorced Nathan? When in the hell did this happen? I thought you two were happy?"

She took a sip of her beer, then sighed. "We were. Until I found out a few things. None of them pretty."

She looked down at the table so she wouldn't have to face him. Without thinking, he reached across the table and took her hand. She smiled weakly. His hands had such strength in them. She wondered if he was trying to transfer some of his strength to her.

"Drugs? Hookers?" he asked.

She lifted her head and took a sip of beer. "Porn. Hookers. Not sure about the drugs. I didn't want to know."

Nick wasn't surprised by her admission. He knew it had to be pretty bad for her to walk away from her job and her husband. She loved being a cop, and she was good at it. She had been the only female MP in his unit in Vietnam. Everyone loved her, including himself. She was tough as nails, but she wasn't afraid to be feminine when she had to be.

"I'm so sorry, Kerry. I know this is probably rough on you. You know I'll stand behind you no matter what."

"Thank you, Nick. That really means a lot."

She didn't want to talk about herself, so she changed the subject. "So, how are Cody and Boz? And the Roboz?'

Nick laughed. Before she had gotten married, she had made a trip to King Harbor for a weekend visit. She had finally gotten to meet Murray, and she had fallen in love with his invention, the Roboz.

"They're fine. They send their love. Roboz can't, of course."

"Of course."

"And how's business?"

"It's good. I'm sure you've heard that Lieutenant Quinlan got killed."

She nodded. "I did. But for what it's worth, Joanna Parisi is a good cop."

"She is. Murray has a crush on her."

She smiled. "Murray needs a good girl to settle down with and make little Boz's."

Nick smiled. Murray would be happy with a devoted wife and a passel of kids.

"Yeah, he does," he agreed.

Their steaks arrived, and they busied themselves with eating and discussing their dinners. Coffee and dessert had been served when Nick brought the conversation back to her.

"So, you resigned from the force. What are you going to do now?"

She set down her coffee cup.

"I'm moving. I'm leaving San Francisco."

He set his cup in the saucer, trying hard for it to not spill. His hands were shaking. Every time someone shocked, him, his hands stated to shake.

"You're what? Kerry, San Francisco is your home. You've lived there all of your life."

"I have. It's time for a change. I want to see the sunshine more. I want to learn how to surf. I want to play beach volleyball. I'm moving to Southern California."

"LAPD?" he asked.

"King Harbor. Meet your newest Sergeant, Detective Ryder."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nick's mouth dropped open. He hurriedly closed it, so she wouldn't think he was being rude by opening his mouth with food in it. He swallowed. He couldn't tell her what he was thinking.

"That's great! When do you start?"

"Next month. I have Guard Duty for the next two weeks. Then I need to pack, find a place, and move."

"You don't have a place yet?"

"No, not yet. I'm kind of picky about where I want to live."

"Which is where?"

"Close to the station. I'll spend a lot of time in the car, so I don't want to drive far to work."

He nodded. "That makes sense."

"Can you recommend a good real estate broker that can find me an apartment?"

"Travis Hardy is good. So is Amy Anderson. Do you want an apartment, or would you consider renting at the harbor?"

"I don't have a boat, Nick."

"You don't have to have a boat. There's several houseboats for rent. One's even for sale. The owner died a couple of months ago."

"Tempting. Sun. Surf. Beach boys. Beach volleyball. All the pelicans I care to not feed."

He chuckled. "They still sit on the blades of the Mimi."

She smiled. "That still pisses you off?"

"Damn right. They shit all over the blades."

"And on your head a few times?"

He sighed. "You had to mention that, didn't you?"

She started to giggle, with it soon turning to full out laughter.

"Would you stop it?" he hissed.

That made her laugh all the harder.

"Kerry Renee Kelly!"

She sobered and took another sip of her beer. "Sorry."

"No you're not."

"Only you would get upset about pelicans shitting on your chopper blades. Face it, Nick. It's silly."

"It is, but it is still annoying," he agreed.

"I'm sure it is. Just don't sweat the small stuff. One turn of those blades when you start up Mimi, they'll take off and it will probably be a long time, if ever before they come back again."

"Murray won't like that."

"He won't?"

"No. he feeds them."

She smiled. "Murray has a kind heart."

"Yeah, he does. Too kind sometimes."

"Nothing wrong with that. It shows us all that there is still good in this world, despite all of the ugliness I see every day."

He nodded. "King Harbor isn't like San Francisco you know. You might get bored."

"I need a change. I love being a police officer, but I need a fresh start. I need to leave all of the bad times and San Francisco behind. It's time for a new chapter. I really doubt I will get bored. There's something quite comforting about looking for lost dogs."

He nodded. He still wasn't sure what to think of her announcement. He knew she was a city kid. He didn't think she would like living in Southern California no matter how hard she tried to spin that she wanted and needed a change. For his own selfish reasons, he was happy she had decided to settle in King Harbor, but he couldn't help but wonder how long it would take her to get bored, restless, and homesick enough to move back to San Francisco. Her moving back was the last thing he wanted.

He took a sip of his beer. "When you're ready, I can fly you and your stuff down to King Harbor," he offered.

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. What are friends for if not to help friends move."

She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you, Nick. I really appreciate this."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"That's it," Cody said as he brought in the last box. He set it down in Kerry's new living room.

"Thank you, Cody. I've ordered pizza. The beer is in the fridge. I hope you and Murray will stay. The least I can do is feed you two for helping."

"Yeah, sure. I'll stay. I'm sure Murray will too."

"Great. Help yourself to the beer in the fridge. Pizza should be here soon."

Murray made his way inside from the deck. "Hey Nick, Cody, you should see the pool. It's really boss."

"I'm sure it is, Murray," Cody said as he pulled two bottles of beer out of the fridge and handed it to him.

"He's right, Cody. The pool is awesome. That is what sold this apartment for me," Kerry said.

The doorbell rang and Kerry excused herself to answer it. She returned to the kitchen and set the pizzas on the table. She opened the boxes. "I got pepperoni and mushroom, pepperoni and extra cheese, and extra cheese."

She knew Nick was a big fan of pepperoni and mushroom, but she wasn't sure about Cody and Murray. Extra cheese was a safe bet because if they didn't like pepperoni, they would eat the extra cheese.

Murray studied the pizzas. "Boss! Extra cheese and pepperoni! Thank you, Kerry!"

Kerry smiled. "Your welcome, Murray. Take as much as you like."

After dinner, Cody and Murray had left to go back to the Riptide, both saying they had work that needed to be done. Nick and Kerry sat on the balcony, finishing up the beer.

"They didn't have to leave, you know," Kerry said as she watched the sun setting over the ocean.

"No, they didn't. They wanted to give us some privacy."

"Us?"

Nick set his beer on the table. He stood up, and took two steps over to where she was sitting. He held out his hand to her and helped her to her feet.

"Yes, us," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.

She felt his lips on hers. Her arms circled his neck. "Nick," she whispered.

He slipped his arms around her waist. Finally, she was where he wanted her. He had spent the day wondering if Cody and Boz would disappear after they moved her things into her new apartment. All day long, he had been trying to plan some alone time with her.

She pulled her lips from his. She looked at him questioningly. "We're going to do this, aren't we?"

"If you want."

"I want, but I don't want Saigon again."

He kissed the top of her head. He didn't want Saigon again either. The two of them had worked side by side through numerous helicopter flights to get American military personnel evacuated safely out of the city. After their last flight, they had settled with everyone else in the Philippines before being shipped back to California.

Their one night together burned in the back of her mind. Nick had been a perfectly patient lover, doing what he could to make her feel less awkward and insecure. While she knew it was only going to be for one night, she secretly wished that they would have many more. She knew it was impossible. She was returning to San Francisco, and he to Los Angeles. Fate brought them together again during their two weeks of National Guard duty every summer. Two years ago, she had announced she had gotten married. Last month, she announced she had gotten a divorce.

"I don't want that either," he said quietly.

"What do you want, Nick?"

"I want us. I want to date you properly. I want to see where we go with this. I care about you. A lot."

"And I, you."

"So, this is a yes?"

"It's a yes."

He tightened his hug and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Kerry."


End file.
